Among us there are many lovers of pets. However, as a beloved creature, you can contain not only cats and dogs. Birds are no less popular than four-legged representatives. In our article we want to talk about how to care for carduelis at home. Do not think that wild representatives of birds are not suitable for home maintenance. People have long learned to tame these beautiful and songbirds.
Bird description
Carduelis belong to the family finch. The size of the birds is more modest compared to sparrows. The length of the carduelis body is only twelve centimeters. Adult individuals weigh no more than 20 grams. They have a very bright color, but the surface of the head, tail and wings remain black, making the birds look like real goldfinches. But on the forehead, tummy and cheeks there are snow-white feathers. Near the beak you can see a red ring, and on the wings - bright yellow stripes. Outwardly, distinguishing a female from a male is usually very difficult. In terms of content, there is no difference between them. True, it is believed that their voice data is different.
In nature, Carduelis are quite numerous. They live in Western Siberia, Europe, North Africa and Central Asia. But the northern regions prefer to bypass. Minor seasonal migrations of birds have led to the emergence of several species.
Birdsong
Carduelis are songbirds. Their repertoire may contain more than 20 tunes. An interesting fact is that Carduelis can make not only pleasant melodic sounds, but also rude and unpleasant. Only canaries can compete in singing with carduelis. By the way, carduelis do not sing during molting. It has been observed that females sing more skillfully and beautifully than males. It is noticed that the female representatives have a slightly fainter plumage than males. Therefore, some prefer to take boys. But this is just a matter of taste.
Is it worth starting a carduelis in the house?
Is it possible to contain carduelis at home? Of course. But you should know all the features of these birds. In general, the content of carduelis has its advantages. The birds have a very beautiful plumage, due to which they delight the owners. In addition, Carduelis sing beautifully, and you can enjoy their voice almost the whole year, only during moulting they become silent.
Goldfinches at home delight owners with their friendly character. In addition, they are very smart, and therefore quickly learn. Birds willingly become tame. The hybrid of the canary and carduelis is distinguished by its external beauty and a very attractive voice. In general, to keep carduelis at home, you should not take wild individuals, since you probably can not tame them. Pets need to be purchased in specialized places.
Where to keep pets?
Keep goldfinches at home is necessary in cells or aviaries. Birds quickly settle down and get used to completely new conditions. The main thing is to be able to create the necessary comfort. For a feathered cage, there should be at least 50 centimeters in length. In addition, it must be bunk. Inside it is necessary to equip a swing and poles. For goldfinches at home, you need to choose a room without drafts and without direct sunlight, but at the same time there should be a lot of light in the room.
It is very important that the cage has a distance between the rods of not more than 1.5 centimeters, because otherwise the pet can slip out and flop out, and in the worst case, also injure itself.
General cleaning of the feathered cage is carried out every week. To do this, use special non-hazardous detergents. Be sure to thoroughly wash the poles, feeders, drinking bowls. All items are not only washed, but also dried. Particular attention should be paid to drinking water and bathing water. According to reviews, the maintenance of carduelis at home requires the owners to pay attention to cell hygiene. Following certain rules will create good conditions for the bird.
Some features
According to reviews, carduelis at home must be kept separately. Joint stay of birds in one cage can harm pets. Oddly enough, but females and males strongly conflict with each other, being in the same space. And this is bad for the health of the birds. Males against the background of domestic problems can become sad and lethargic, and even stop singing. But living in different cages or neighboring aviaries is quite comfortable with the birds.
Speaking about how to care for carduelis at home, it is worth remembering that from time to time birds need to be released from aviaries or cages to fly. In addition, daily it is necessary to change the water for swimming and drinking. Fresh fluid is the key to your pet’s health.
How to feed carduelis at home?
At home, it is necessary to feed carduelis with grain mixtures, which include plantain, sunflower, hemp, millet, dandelion, burdock, and oatmeal. Speaking about what carduelis eat at home, it is worth recalling the need for the presence of flour worms and ant pupae in the diet. If you just took your pet, then do not immediately stock up on a large number of worms. You must first give a try to a carduelis delicacy in order to understand whether he will like it. The fact is that not all pets like this kind of food.
Birds love cereals and all kinds of wet mixes. Giving food of this kind is necessary up to two times a week. Usually, carduelis eat twice a day, and eat a little bit. What do you think is your favorite bird treat? This is a boiled carrot, which must be ground on a grater. Add a boiled egg and crackers to the treat.
Carduelis is also useful plant foods, such as plantain and dandelion.
Pet breeding
Breeding carduelis at home is a simple matter. Birds breed well throughout the year. The female needs to be provided with everything that she needs to build a nest, in which in the future she will lay her eggs. As a building material, birds use feathers, lichens, meadow grass, bark, bark, moss, animal hair and more. Females lay no more than six eggs, painted in blue. On their surface there are purple blotches and stripes. Responsibility for hatching offspring lies entirely with the female. She incubates the chicks for several weeks. After fertilization, it is very important to put the male in another cage. Otherwise, he may distract the female from her direct duties.
Having been born, chicks very quickly develop. In just two weeks, they become completely independent, and therefore can leave their native nest. But nevertheless, in order for the kids to grow stronger and be fully prepared for an independent life, they need to be kept next to their mother for about a week.
Sometimes there are times when females refuse to hatch their own offspring. But it does not matter. Eggs can be kept under the lamp, as if in an incubator.
Ailments of birds
Ailments affecting canaries and parrots are also dangerous for carduelis. If you notice that the bird does not drink, do not eat, there are discharge near the beak, feathers are falling off, the gastrointestinal tract function is broken, eyes are dimmed, the pet must be taken to the veterinarian urgently. The doctor will help establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment. By the way, it is worth knowing that birds suffer from diseases that are very dangerous for humans. It can be salmonellosis, ornithosis, tuberculosis. With whatever love you may relate to your ward, do not forget about the rules of hygiene after talking with him.
In addition, carduelis are quite capable of having human ailments. The most common option is gout. The first signs of the onset of the disease may be thirst and a sharp change in the mood of the feathered pet. If you follow all the rules for carduelis, the bird feels very good at home and does not get sick. But for this it is necessary to keep the cage clean and tidy, to feed the bird with a balanced diet. In this case, the chances are high that the disease will bypass the pet side. In many ways, the health of the bird depends on its care.
Bird walks
We have already mentioned that Carduelis must certainly fly outside the cage. Free flight around the house or apartment is a prerequisite for a healthy pet lifestyle. This is due not only to the fact that the feathered bird is bored and needs to spread its wings, but also to the nutritional features. It's no secret that carduelis get a lot of fat. And this means that they are prone to obesity. To avoid such a problem, it is necessary to give the bird more greens, fruits and vegetables. And without fail, the goldfinch must fly. Some owners say that they managed to tame their pets so that they fly into the cage only for the night. Fluttering around the apartment for birds is much more interesting than sitting locked up. True, restless researchers can easily spoil something. But absolutely all the pets play.
If you allow your bird to move around the apartment, then it will surely like places such as cabinets, tall cabinets and other elevations. This is explained quite simply, because in the wild, carduelis prefer to be on tall trees. An interesting fact is that Carduelis love parrots no less than parrots. If there is a mirror in the room where your friend lives, the pet will probably be constantly spinning around it. Well, where the goldfinch flutters, there is always garbage.
How many birds live?
Many people wonder how many carduelis live at home. According to experienced people, life expectancy directly depends on the quality of care for the pet. Proper care will protect the bird from ailments. So, the goldfinch will delight you with singing for a long time - 20 years for sure, if not more.
Is it possible to tame carduelis?
Carduelis are distinguished by intelligence and quick wit. You can easily teach them to fly to the arm to get food. Very often Carduelis is taught all kinds of tricks. For example, to get fortune-telling tickets for people.
However, it is worth remembering that wild individuals in behavior differ from acquired ones. Once in a cage from the will, pets often run wild. Speaking about how to tame carduelis at home, it is safe to say that literally in three months you can make a manual bird from a wild bird. True, you will have to show maximum patience and desire.
In the first week, the bird must be kept completely alone. Next, the cage is transferred to a crowded place in the apartment, covering it with a rag. Gradually, the veil opens, showing the pet the surrounding world. During the third week, the goldfinch eats in the presence of the host, which is only a few meters from the cell.
Gradually, after a month, most of the carduelis begins to try to sing. In the future, you can get closer to the bird during its meal. You can try to put one seed on the perch and wait for the goldfinch to grab it. Then you can put the next one. So gradually the bird gets used to your presence. In the future, she will learn to take seeds even from your hands. Do not rush during taming. Each new achievement must be consolidated within a few days. And then proceed with something new.
Carduelike habits
Having purchased a pet, you will certainly have to train it to fly around the apartment or around the room. Before each walk, you must make sure that the windows and doors are closed so that the bird does not fly away from you. The cage should initially be installed in a permanent place. Then daily you can open the door and invite the pet to fly to you. Starting training, you can attract the attention of a bird with something tasty or a bunch of greens, to which the goldfinch will certainly react. A feathered friend must gradually adapt and leave the cage without any fear. When flying out into the wild, the bird will probably decide to sit on your head or shoulder. This is a completely normal desire. Get ready for the fact that she will do so all the time. In such a simple way, the pet shows confidence in you. And at the same time, he studies you with curiosity.
No matter how you love your feathered companion and no matter how tamed he is, it is always worth observing the safety rules. Open windows are taboo. You never know what a bird will climb into your head. She can even inadvertently fly out into the open window. But the birds can’t find the way back. Glass itself can also be a danger - crashing into it from a dispersal, the goldfinch can be injured.
In general, if a pet is on a walk and flies around the apartment, then the owners should be very careful so that they do not inadvertently press down the door, sit on it or step on it. In addition, it is very dangerous to overfeed the bird. Obesity can greatly undermine the health of the pet.
Reviews of people about the content of carduelis
Many bird lovers note that the content of Carduelis is not more complicated than other birds. Just follow all the rules for keeping pets. Making yourself a winged friend and companion, you should be prepared for the fact that he will show his character. Every living creature has its own character, and birds are no exception in this regard.
It is very important to make friends with the pet and to establish relations with him. It is very important to follow a diet and a proper diet. The health of a carduelis depends on this. However, sometimes the owners complain that their wards do not completely eat all the food. As a rule, birds prefer any one variety or several. However, this is wrong. As we have already noted, nutrition should be balanced. Therefore, it is worth changing the feed manufacturer, perhaps this will help you. Very often, birds prefer to eat only sunflower, which can lead to obesity and the appearance of ailments. But knowing that they eat carduelis at home, you need to achieve good nutrition.
The rest of the birds are beautiful in content. They invariably delight their hosts with loud trills and twittering. Such a companion is able to amuse even in a sad moment. And what could be better than such a wonderful friend. Children especially love birds, however, the care of them falls on the shoulders of the parents. And yet such a beautiful pet is the dream of any baby.